Building a better society by building better relationships
Relationships span every corner of our lives, from the places we live and work to the places we socialise and seek help. At The Relationships Project, we believe that the quality of these relationships matter. When they’re nurtured, valued and prioritised, people are happier and healthier, communities are stronger and more resilient, and businesses are more successful and efficient.
We know we’re not alone in believing this. So we work collaboratively to:
CONNECT
You are not alone.
Creating spaces for connection, conversation and shared learning about relationships.
UNDERSTAND
This is a thing.
Develop our collective understanding of relationship-centred practice, and why it matters.
EMBED
We can do this.
Translating the learning into practical tools and training for embedding relationship-centred practice.
Latest Publication: The Case Maker
Few people argue that relationships don’t matter, but many feel they don’t have the time, capacity or permission to prioritise them. This Case Maker assembles the evidence base for putting relationships first, describing why relationships matter, what great relationship-centred practice looks like, and how it could make an impact in your context.
Join us at the launch
On 22nd April, 2-3pm BST (Zoom) we’ll be hearing from a few of the brilliant people who are pioneering a new relationship-centred future, and celebrating the launch of this publication. We’d love you to join us. Why not bring a friend – or maybe even a skeptical colleague. Everyone is welcome.
A Birmingham Get Together
On Friday 12th July, we’re hosting an in-person get together at the Button Factory in Birmingham and you’re invited!
The theme for the day is ‘Changing our Permissions‘. We’ll be exploring the norms, beliefs and rules that help and hinder us in putting relationships first in our communities, organisations and systems.
Together, we will:
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Celebrate the progress we, as a field, have made over the last few years in getting relationships onto the agenda
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Move the conversation forward, unearthing the hidden, imagined and real rules that shape our ability to work relationally – and exploring how to navigate them
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Do the important work of building relationships with one another, sharing encouragement, ideas and support
A World of Good Relationships
How are we to heal divided communities, to respect difference, trade fairly, care for the displaced, respond to crises, or share the natural world? How are we to live together? More than ever, the big questions that we face are all about relationships.
On 31st October 2023, David Robinson was invited to give a public lecture at LSE to tell the unfolding story of our work, with responses from Kirsty McNeill and Gemma Mortensen. You can watch it below, read a transcript here, access the slides here and follow the Twitter conversation here.
The Relationships Map
The Relationships Map is a space for anyone who believes in the importance of relationships to find one another, share ideas and resources, feel part of something bigger, and realise more than the sum of our parts.
What do we mean by Relationship-Centred Practice?
Relationship-Centred Practice (RCP) puts relationships first. It unlocks potential and meets need by positioning meaningful and effective relationships as the first order goal, both an end in itself and the means by which other goals will be achieved (like better health, stronger communities, greater job satisfaction).
RCP is determined as much by the policy environment and organisational protocols as by the characteristics and values of the practitioner. For RCP to become widespread and embedded there needs to be focus, intention, investment and support at multiple layers of an organisation, a community or a system.
Highlights from our work
The Relationships Heatmap
Find the areas of strength and areas for improvement in your relationship- centred practice with The Relationships Heatmap – an interactive diagnostic tool you can use on your own or with others.
Bridge Builders' Handbook
Learn how to build bridges across divides in your community or organisation using our step-by-step guide, developed with experts in conflict transformation and community mediation.
The Moment We Noticed
Cast back to the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic and remember the shifting attitudes and behaviours. How could these lead to more profound change in how we live together?
Latest from the blog
Changing our permissions
In brief Every community and every organisation is shaped by norms, assumptions and rules. They condition our behaviour, determine what is and is not permissible, and mould our relationships. Here, David Robinson discusses changing our permissions; a theme that we'll...
Relationships Learning Network Update
In brief In this blog, Neil Denton gives an update on the Relationships Learning Network which gathered for the first time in September 2023. Neil outlines some common areas of interest and interdisciplinary interest and invites you to join us in strengthening links...
Help populate the Pattern Library
In November 2023, we shared our very early stage thinking around a Pattern Library for Relationship-Centred Practice and invited anyone who was interested to join us in developing the idea. Through their thoughtful feedback and ideas, our Critical Friends have brought...
